The short-term impact of remote instruction on achievement in children with ADHD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

There is nationwide concern that the abrupt transition to remote instruction in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic will have detrimental impacts on student learning. As a uniquely vulnerable group within schools, students with disabilities like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be at enhanced risk for these negative outcomes. The present study features a unique examination of achievement scores, collected for two Cohorts (2018Cohorts ( -2019Cohorts ( , 2019Cohorts ( -2020 of students with ADHD. By collecting achievement data in both the fall and spring for each Cohort, direct comparisons between changes in achievement for Cohort One (2018-2019) can be made to those in Cohort Two (2019-2020). Analyses summarized remote learning practices, within-group changes in achievement data over time for Cohort Two, and between-group differences in score changes over time for Cohorts One and Two. Teachers used a variety of remote learning approaches, including videoconferencing and independently completed assignments. Student achievement scores in both Cohorts significantly improved from fall to spring. No significant differences were found in score growth between the Cohorts, indicating that the move to remote instruction did not have a differentially negative impact on Cohort Two. Implications focus on the promise of well-delivered remote instruction, and the need to examine individual factors (such as poor internet access) that may exacerbate the risk of students with disabilities receiving remote instruction. Impact and ImplicationsThere is nationwide concern that the rapid move to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic will have long-lasting negative impacts on our youth. This study demonstrated that children with attention and behavioral difficulties did not show a substantial decrease in academic achievement following three to 4 months of remote instruction. These results present the short-term impact of remote instruction; future work must address whether continuing to deliver school remotely impacts students with disabilities.

The impact of Covid-19 on student achievement: Evidence from a recent meta-analysis

“…Next, the titles and the abstracts of the remaining 5,358 records were assessed. Following this, 5,205 studies were excluded as they use qualitative approaches (e.g., interviews), report teachers'/parents’ views about the educational impact of Covid-19 (e.g., Kim et al, 2022 ; Lupas et al, 2021 ), or provide a theoretical discussion about how the pandemic is likely to affect education (e.g., Di Pietro et al, 2020 ). Similarly, studies containing predictions and/or projections were also removed (e.g., Kuhfeld et al, 2020a ).…”

COVID-19 Restrictions and Its Influence on Students’ Mathematics Achievement in Spain

“…First of all, although peer support limitation has been referred to as the main problem by students participating in this research that explains the decrease in their mathematics achievement, other factors could have influenced these results. Many authors referred to the school closures of several months as the main reason for the academic problems that many students are experiencing worldwide [86][87][88][89]. Hence, not only restrictions in peer support, but also other factors such as the prolonged period of time that schools were closed the year before may explain this decrease in students' mathematics achievement.…”

The COVID-19 impact on reading achievement growth of Grade 3–5 students in a U.S. urban school district: variation across student characteristics and instructional modalities

“…The shift to remote instruction due to school lockdown can be immensely challenging for many students with disabilities who often experience difficulties with information processing or sustaining attention and focus to complete instructional tasks (Swanson, 1987). Particularly, for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) who experience inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, their condition makes it hard to pay attention or control behaviors in an online learning environment (Lupas et al, 2021). Special education services or individualized education programs (IEP) were suspended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.…”